Our navy dining room is officially open for business! And it only took 16 months after move in day!
Navy Dining Room Reveal
When our builder mentioned dining rooms were becoming less common, I still wanted to go for it. In an open floor plan, I was concerned our family of 6 would like a separate spot. I am hoping this dining room can be a space for a quiet(er) place to eat lunch or take a phone call, birthday dinners and of course holiday dinners with family.
Time will tell if we use it as much as we hope to.
The Before
Obviously, the light fixture is the showpiece in the room!
Coming Along… A Navy Dining Room But Still A Before
This is 6 weeks ago…
Here we are living with our navy dining room, but far from finished! This dark blue grasscloth wallpaper gave it a beautiful start. It sat like this for many months.
(Considering grasscloth wallpaper? Read my experience with grasscoth wallpaper).
My overall goal was for everything to be pretty for your eyeballs, but practical for ‘dem kids! Because it is a dark navy dining room, I also wanted to incorporate lots of white to let the light bounce around.
The After:
How Our Navy Dining Room Came Together
The Farmhouse Table
I started my plan around the dining room table. We looked for a table that could take a beating and not be too precious. This table was found at Pier 1 and it is SUCH a good price!!! I have never shopped there before- to be honest I was worried it would look cheap with such a good price tag, but it’s truly a beautiful table. The wood doesn’t have that rough feel- it’s smooth and a great color. This is the 84″ Bradding table in the Stonewashed Natural.
You can read my 1 year review of the Bradding table here!
Shop the Table:
The Chairs
To elevate the room while still keeping it casual, we used the rattan arm chairs from Serena & Lily for our end chairs, with a tailored cushion in a high performance fabric (wipable! washable!). I love that the brass end caps on the bottom tie into the chandelier in this room. They are pleasantly comfortable – they would make a good desk chair too.
After choosing such pretty end chairs, we wanted our kids’ chairs to contrast but have the same vibe. These wooden white Bentwood chairs are wood and lightweight so the kids can pull them out for themselves. Amazon, of ALL the places! You want to pick wood over metal to keep the authentic feel.
Grounding the Space
Rugs in eating areas… such a topic. We choose an outdoor Welfleet Rug and I’m hoping it holds up well to our every day messes. It feels durable! A few dinners throughout the month should be fine.
But to be honest, if it’s a holiday feast and my whole family is eating here including our little baby cousins, I’m rolling up this rug. And that’s ok. Because it will be admired 364 other days of the year– so I encourage you to find a rug you like in your dining room! No shame in rolling it up for a feast.
On Instagram I shared with you all this Serena and Lily outdoor party bar with ice bins we found on cragislist. I put it under their Bar Harbor Bone Inlay Mirror. You can read more about the bar discovery here. I love the woven texture on the side!
Choosing Artwork:
The artwork is the first thing you see in the room off the front door, and the colors are muted and lovely. It is SO big you guys, it replaces the need for anything else on that wall.
(Review of my oversized print of Paris from Minted artwork can be found here!)
The Oyster print was found locally in Durham at Chet Miller, but you can also purchase it directly from Rifle Paper Company.
Other Design Elements
I was holding my breath to see if the Wesley Sideboard would arrive in time, and it came this week! It’s amazing how high end furniture looks and smells! The scale is just right, as it is centered under the double sconce and able to hold the (very large) aged brass lamp, the nautical flag I framed, and my massive tall vase of green vines.
Our Entry Right Off The Dining Room:
And lastly, y’all I am so impressed with Tonic Living. They overdelivered on this custom cushion for our entry bench. Tonic Living helped me pick out this high performance fabric specifically for kids with dirty summertime bare feet – it withstands all kinds of stains (even permanent marker they say??). It has a zipper because you can wash it. If you have a bench you want a cushion made for, they were easy to get a quote from online.
The lumbar pillow with tassels is from Serena and Lily, and the plaid pillow is also from Tonic Living.
Shop the entry’s lantern and blue rug
Get The Entry Look:
Takeaways
In conclusion, my biggest takeaway is don’t start without a plan. A design plan and a visual moodboard – not even a fancy one – will be your biggest deciding factor in whether your end result is what you envisioned.
Shop The Dining Room:
Shop white bentwood chairs here!
See the before and afters of the grasscloth wallpaper here:
Read through all of my progress here:
Pin Now, Read Later:
Thanks for the encouragement and organization from the One Room Challenge, and it’s media partner Better Homes & Gardens.
I love how this room turned out! It’s gorgeous! The mismatched chairs are such a great touch to add character to the room. And can we talk about your entry for a moment?! All that light! Those doors!!! Everything turned out beautifully. You must be so happy to be finished! 🙂
Kim I am SO happy to have a dining room, it feels like we just added an extension on the house because nobody used to go in there. Thanks for reading 🙂
Wow! I am in love with that wallpaper! It’s a jaw dropper! Congrats on a stunning reveal!
Thanks so much Jen! Yes the wallpaper was scary because grasscloth isn’t coming down without tearing up your walls, but it was worth it for sure.
This is so gorgeous and such an inspiration! Do you mind sharing where you purchased the greenery in the large white vase? I’ve been on the hunt for something similar. Thank you!
Hey! Yes, heres a link
https://rstyle.me/+eBnArzBCVKs1Iit_SZizZA
Your furniture choices are incredible – especially those cane chairs and that amazing console!!!
Thanks Lindsey! Love those cane chairs 🙂
Love this space so much! Do you have a link you could share for your roller blinds? Thanks!
Hi! They are from a local company out of Raleigh called All Phase Blinds. 🙂 https://allphaseblinds.com
Beautiful space and love your choices! How has your dining table held up? How often do you use it? Love the look of your table. I’m on the hunt for a dining table and with two young children, am hoping for durability and ease of clean-up along with the aesthetics. Thanks!
Hi CC- sorry for the late reply! The dining room is eaten on maybe twice a month, it is heavily used for just household needs… for instance we kept all our back to school supplies in there as the school countdown was on and we were getting organized- right now we are working on my son’s social studies project and it has all his poster boards etc. So far I love the table. I’ll be doing a review at 6 months. 🙂
Hi there! What finish is your dining room table? Love your completed dining room look! — Rachel
Hi Rachel– we went with the natural and I am happy with it. I also liked the honey but I was afraid it would be too orange. I wanted that medium to light natural tone. 🙂 Thanks for being here!
Just bought this table. I’m reading that it gets water rings easily. This is going to be our main kitchen table. Would you suggest putting a coat of poly on it, or you mentioned yours is holding up well so maybe that isn’t a concern?
I honestly have no idea! We only eat here sporadically and then everything is all cleaned off. But if it were me, I would protect it with a quick coat of poly. I have done this to tables in the past and its no big deal- a little bit of hassle and you will be glad you did.
Make sure its an okay for food-based poly. 😀
They all seem so easy to decorate! AWESOME Some of them actually look so simple, yet so stylish and unique.
Obviously, the homes show off the owner’s personality. ADORE!
xx